Pot

I once showed you how to make a self-watering planter from a recycled soda bottle, and while the DIY was pretty easy and inventive, I will admit it wasn't the most handsome pot I've ever seen. I'm not someone who thinks we should need to make sacrifices when it comes to good design, so I kept my eyes peeled and was silently hoping for a sexier alternative. Then came the Vitamin I.V. Self-Watering Planter ($375), an ingenious pot that comes with a refillable I.V. bag that regulates the flow of water to your plant with its drip feed. The lightweight fiberglass pot has a sleek, modern conical shape that's a far cry from the do-it-yourself look of that surgeried soda bottle. Unfortunately, I.V. is quite large (as is its price) at 12.5 x 21.25 inches, and is really meant to hold a tree, so now I'm not-so-silently hoping Vitamin will release a mini version for more petite plants.

Sometimes I think the Danish are invincible — at least in terms of modern design. Design firm Normann Copenhagen's Storm Pot ($44-$63) is both a flower pot and a water reservoir. The simple and ingenious aluminum pots have a single drain hole and the whole bottom half of the pot is the reservoir, so your plants will never go thirsty. Oh . . . and did I mention they're stunning? They're available (and on sale) in glossy red and black, and medium and large, but sadly not white, from Sprout Home.

We all know that smoking pot regularly just isn't good for our health. It can impair learning, affect memory retention and retrieval, and cause perceptual abnormalities (where you think you hear or see something that isn't there). The smoke from marijuana is also linked to lung cancer, and now research shows that chronic pot smoking can raise a person's risk of a heart attack or stroke. When blood protein levels were measured in heavy pot smokers, they were especially elevated — by 30 percent as compared to non pot smokers. These high levels of blood proteins increase the level of triglycerides. This is a type of fat found in the blood, that can contribute to hardening of the arteries and thickening of the artery walls, all of which raise a person's risk for stroke, heart attack, and heart disease.

As if that's not bad enough, smoking pot regularly could cause or worsen psychiatric problems such as anxiety and depression in teens. Now that I am a mom, I'm certainly cataloging all the reasons to just say "No."

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I recently came across some smart tips for picking a planter for your outdoor plants on Domino, and I thought I'd summarize them for you, since it's Good to Grow month, afterall. You probably never realized what a difference the look of your planter can make on your home. So before you go and pick up a classic terracotta for your sleek, modern home, consider these tips like you would a new sofa for your living room.

• SHAPE Choose it like you would anything else in your home. Here's a few ways to think about shapes, as they relate to your home.
  » Square/Urn: formal, traditional, Colonials, brick rowhouses, stone manses
  » Rounded/Galvanized: casual, country, cottages, wood houses
  » Geometric: modern, ranch, Richard Neutra-style houses
  » Angular: versatile, brownstones, apt. balconies, farmhouses, bungalows

To hear more tips, read more

Your dryer sheets aren't only good for eliminating static cling and leaving your clothes smelling so fresh and so clean, you can reuse them for other household chores once your laundry is finished. They're great for picking up dust on your furniture and window blinds. You can also use them to remove food stuck on your pots and pans. Just fill the dirty pot or pan with water, toss in a used dryer sheet, and let it soak for about an hour. The sheet will help lift and loosen the gunky stuff. Then, wash the pan as usual. Presto! Pots and pans so fresh and so clean!

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Dear Sugar--

I am 18 yrs old and have been dating my boyfriend for a year and a half (he will be 21 in October). I'm very confused right now because he and I are planning on moving in together. We have been talking about this for at least six months, but now that I have finally talked to my mom and got her to accept it, he is very crabby and gets irritated when I bring it up. He says I talk about it every day, which I know I don't. My boyfriend is the most hard-headed person I know, so that makes everything difficult.

Well I don't know what to do with that, but on top of everything else, he has started to drink a lot more and go out with his friends almost every night, which I am sure is only going to get worse when he actually turns 21. I have a lot going on and just really need some advice, can you help me?

--Confused Catherine

To see DEARSUGAR's answer read more